What we learned from NC's primary -- and what's next

What we learned from NC's primary -- and what's next

From WUNC Politics by WUNC News

March 5, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the implications of North Carolina's primary results and the future of the state's legislative session.

North Carolina's primary brought rebukes to incumbent legislators in both parties, including a razor-thin margin in the closely watched GOP primary challenge to Senate leader Phil Berger. Why did voters reject some longtime leaders in state politics? Why did Berger's home county turn against him in favor of Sheriff Sam Page? And what's next in the vote-counting process and this year's legislative session? To sort through the results, WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with Adam Wagner, who covers politics for the North Carolina Newsroom.

People in this episode

Host: Colin Campbell

Guest: Adam Wagner

Topics covered

  • North Carolina primary
  • political challenges
  • voter behavior
  • legislative session
  • election results

Keywords

  • North Carolina
  • primary election
  • Phil Berger
  • Sam Page
  • voter rejection
  • politics
  • legislators
  • election results

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: North Carolina Newsroom

Places: North Carolina

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